


Welcome Home

by Malzysaur



Series: From Zero to Hero [5]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff, Kitten, M/M, Sappy, animal adoption, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 11:13:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27969626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malzysaur/pseuds/Malzysaur
Summary: This time it's Alex's turn to surprise Michael with a new addition to the household.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: From Zero to Hero [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976149
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> So, the puppy you'll meet in this fic was inspired by a Facebook page called 'Keeping up with the Kremmers' where a woman documents her life fostering for a double merle Aussie rescue called 'Keller's Cause.' TikTok was also an influence in this fic, but for reals, check out the Facebook page as well as the rescue, they do some amazing work and education!

Days off were few and far between for both Alex and Michael, and having the same day off was almost unheard of, which was why, when the stars had seemed to align for them, Michael was upset to find Alex gone when he woke up. He lifted his head from the pillow to squint at the alarm clock on his table and noted he’d slept in past 10 which was great and the delicious burn in his thighs made him grin as he turned his face back down into his pillow and groaned. Reflexively his arm moved over next to him intent to pull Alex in against his chest, but he was met with stale air for a second until Zero pounced on his hand to attack the lump moving under the covers.

“Ah, Zee, c’mon,” he mumbled sleepily as he pulled his arm back and pushed himself up to sit against the headboard. He turned and blinked over at the space next to him, as if to confirm the fact that his _fiancé_ left him alone on one of their extremely rare days off together. He had plans damnit. 

Before he could let himself sink into a bad mood, he tossed the blankets aside and padded into the ensuite bathroom for a shower where he intended to take his time. If Alex wanted to leave him alone for the day, well then, he’d spend it exactly how he wants to, lazy and doing as little as possible. As soon as the hot water sluiced over his muscles he sagged against the wall, his movements slow as he washed himself. Even drying himself off was a leisurely process. Once dried he slipped into a clean pair of Alex’s sweats and an old band tee. If Alex wasn’t physically there to spend time with Michael, then he’d take the next best thing and surround himself with items that smelled like his lover. 

By the time he made his way into the kitchen it was almost noon. He contemplated texting Alex to ask him just what the hell he was up to, but decided to give him a couple more hours until he checked in with him. He grinned as soon as he spotted the plate of fresh fruits cut up and saran wrapped sitting on their kitchen island. There was a simple, yellow post-it note stuck to it that told him to eat, signed with a heart. At least Alex hadn’t been forced out of their home under duress. Once the fruit was gone, he set the plate in the sink and moved to fall onto their sofa. He hummed as he snuggled down into the pillows and turned on Netflix for something mindless to watch. Zero pattered out of the bedroom, meowing to announce her presence before she jumped up to snuggle in the crook of Michael’s arm between his forearm and head. He grinned and lifted his head a little to kiss the top of her own then nestled back into the pillow. 

“Your other daddy is missing out Zero, I had such good plans for us, obviously you weren’t allowed to be part of at least fifty percent of them, but he would have loved them,” he assured the kitten as he reached up with his free arm to gently smooth his fingers over her head. 

Zero started to purr loudly as she butted her head up into Michael’s hand. He grinned as he gave in to her demands and smoothed his hand from her head down to her rump before repeating the gesture a couple times. He settled his hand against her ribs, letting the vibrations of her purrs resonate through him as she pushed her head closer to lick her rough tongue over his equally rough stubble. He hummed in response and turned his chin up a little so that she could settle with her cold, wet nose against his neck.

“Finally, comfortable princess?” he uttered, his low baritone sounding like his own brand of purring. Zero merely chuffed an unamused meow as her little paws started to knead against his shoulder. If he remembered correctly, Rosa, had called that action, _’making biscuits.’_ He smiled to himself and tracked his gaze away from Zero to settle on whatever show he’d started to play on TV. He wasn’t paying a lot of attention to what was happening as he slipped into that beautiful purgatory between sleep and wakefulness. He was suddenly jolted awake when a commotion at the front door startled Zero. He hissed when her claws dug into his shoulder before she jumped up and skittered across the floor to hide. 

Michael pushed himself up to sit as he blinked towards the entryway. Soon enough voices flittered through the expanse. He frowned, but before he could get up to see what was going on, Maria proceeded Alex, her arms full of shopping bags and other items Michael couldn’t quite make sense of. 

“For the record I want it known that I tried to talk him out of it,” she stated as she dumped everything in the open area between the living room and the kitchen. 

Michael still had no idea what she was talking about or what everything was that she had just dropped. He pushed the blanket aside and stood, his brows etched with confusion, “What the hell are you talking about DeLuca?” he asked as he wandered over to inspect the things she’d dropped.

“Just like I said Guerin, I am not to blame for anything that’s about to come in through that door,” she reiterated as she came to stand next to him, her hands on her hips as they both stood watching the front door which had been left ajar. 

Michael was about to head outside to see just what the hell she kept referencing when the door started to open. The first thing Michael noticed was Alex who had such a rapt look of joy on his face, which just about canceled out any ill-feelings Michael might get, but then the sound of nails against the floor caught his attention and he looked down to see a white dog attached to a black leash. He arched a brow and looked back up at Alex again. 

“Alex, what did you do?” he asked, his tone accusatory although he hadn’t meant for it to sound that way. 

Alex’s face fell as soon as he heard Michael’s question and he stopped just inside the door. The dog, puppy really, pulled against the lead and started to yip with frustration as they were held at bay, “I know I should have talked to you first, especially since we live together and we already have one pet, but if I didn’t rescue him today he was going to be put down,” he pleads as he starts to move forward again. 

Michael kneels down to the puppy’s level and watches as it uses its nose to find him and startles as soon as it runs into him. He reaches out to pet the little dog, but it yelps and jumps away. Michael frowns as he looks up at Alex, “What’s wrong with it?”

Alex sighs softly, but it’s Maria who speaks first as she joins Michael on the floor. She moves a lot slower and lets the dog sniff her hand first before she touches it against its nose and slowly moves her hand over his head. The puppy’s entire body wags in excitement as it eats up the attention from Maria, “He’s blind and deaf, he’s either full or part double merle Australian shepherd, but they’re not sure. He was found wandering on the side of the highway outside of town, likely dumped because he had bad genetics,” she informs him as the puppy flops over onto its back so she can rub over its tummy. 

Michael blinks up at Alex, “One crazy animal wasn’t enough for you?” he asks as he continues to try and wrap his head around what just happened. 

Alex shifts his weight as he drops the leash, “We don’t have to actually keep him, but I couldn’t let him die. They had him lined up to go to a rescue, but they ended up backing out at the last minute. Really, you should blame Jenna for this, she texted me pictures and begged me to rescue him,” he tried to reason, but soon started to fidget from nerves.

Michael sighed as he moved closer to the puppy and copied Maria’s actions so the dog wouldn’t be frightened by him, “This one is going to be infinitely more time consuming than the cat,” he muttered, but a slow smile moved over his lips as the puppy squirmed and tried to wiggle enough to lick at Michael’s wrist.

Maria smirked and elbowed Michael as she looked up at Alex, “You should ask him what he named him,” she grinned, her eyes glimmering with merriment. 

Michael flicked his gaze up to find a blush coloring Alex’s cheek as the airman refused to look at him. That alone was amusing so he cocked his head, “Oh yeah? You named him already Alex and you said that we _don’t_ have to keep him?” he nettled just a little bit. He knew, at the end of the day, this puppy would be theirs, after all Michael and Alex’s home was a place for wayward and unwanted souls. 

Alex mumbled as he looked everywhere but the two people on the floor before him. Michael grinned up at him and scooted forward to tap his toes against Alex’s left ankle, his brow arched in curiosity. Alex frowned down at him and sighed, his shoulders sagging, “I named him Falkor,” he said more clearly.

Michael tried hard not to melt on the spot. He shifted and pushed himself up to stand in front of Alex and cup his cheeks as he met his eyes, “Falkor, really Alex?” he teased gently, but tightened his hold on Alex when the airman struggled to get free, annoyance clear on his face. Michael chuckled again and leaned in to sweetly peck his lips. 

“Seriously you guys, not in front of the children,” Maria scolded as she held a squirming puppy against her chest, trying to duck out of his way each time he tried to wiggle up and give her kisses. 

Alex grinned as he held onto Michael and slowly lowered himself down in front of Maria and used the leash to guide Falkor back towards him, “I am serious, if we decide we can’t keep him, then we’ll find him a great family. I know raising a puppy is already hard, but to have one that’s blind _and_ deaf will be ten times harder,” he admitted as he gently moved his hand along the dog’s back, the smile on his face soft. 

Michael met Maria’s gaze before he trailed it back towards Alex. He moved to stand next to Alex and gently squeezed his shoulder, “We’ll see how it goes, plus we need to see if Zero even approves,” he stated, and as if on cue, the kitten came slinking back out of the bedroom. 

Her ears were trained ahead and her nose twitched as she scented the air, curious as to what was going on without her. She moved slowly towards the humans, but as she reached Maria the hair on her back fluffed and rose as she spotted the dog. A low meow rumbled deep in her chest just before she hissed and skittered back, giving her more space between the invader and herself. 

“Well, it looks like we have our work cut out for us,” Michael uttered as he watched Zero attempt a new approach from the other side. Her hair was still fluffed out, but she didn’t hiss again. Anytime the puppy wiggled she’d skirt backwards with a yowl before trying again. 

Maria grinned as she pushed herself to her feet, using Michael as a tool to pull herself up. She moved past him and patted his arm, “Whenever you need a babysitter just know you’re required to call auntie Maria first because I would love to spend time with those sweet babies,” she cooed and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she ruffled Alex’s hair. 

Alex looked up and smiled, “Thanks for today Maria, I swear you can come see these two anytime you want,” he assured her. 

She grinned in response just before slipping out the door, “Oh don’t worry, I fully plan to exploit that,” she assured with a wink before she disappeared. 

Once the door was closed Michael sank down to sit next to Alex. He watched as the puppy gnawed on his leash. He was flopped into Alex’s lap and seemed happy to just be. Michael could relate, Alex had a similar effect on him, “So did the people at the pound have any advice at all?” he asked as he slowly introduced his touch to the dog. 

Alex sighed as he continued to gently pet the puppy, Zero by this time had inched closer to sniff the puppy at a much closer range, “Not a lot, they just said to look stuff up online or see if I can get in touch with specialized rescues. Being deaf and, or blind is extremely common in double merle Aussies,” he shared, his eyes never leaving the dog nor the smile leaving him entirely. 

In that moment Michael knew he’d do what he could to make sure this puppy fit into their home so that he could see that look on Alex’s face forever. He smiled and leaned into Alex’s side, his hand joining in to stroke through the puppy’s velvety soft fur, “We need to make sure we don’t play favorites,” he murmured softly as he turned to plant a featherlight kiss against Alex’s neck. 

Alex hummed in response, his head falling over to rest on Michael’s shoulder, “No one but you could ever be my favorite,” he murmured as he watched Zero settle in front of the puppy, one front paw held out to gently swat at his nose. Falkor jumped at the touch and barked in offense, but then his nose started to twitch as he caught the new scent. He whined and pushed forward from Alex’s lap. His uncoordinated limbs caused him to fall forward and push his head against Zero’s chest. In turn, Zero yowled and flew backwards, startled by the sudden invasion of her space. Michael and Alex couldn’t help their laughter as Zero zipped up her cat tower.

“I can’t wait for them to love each other,” Michael hummed as he finally got to his feet to sort through all the things Maria had dumped. 

Alex rescued Falkor from where he’d tumbled and unhooked his leash so he could start to roam around the home to get familiar with everything, “Welcome home Falkor, you’re going to fit right in,” he murmured mostly to himself as he watched the puppy cautiously start to sniff around.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is what Falkor looks like! Also comments and kudos are pure joy and my life blood!  
> Also, please check back in on the fic in this series called 'Influencer" to find an amazing piece of artwork from the brilliant  
> 
> 
> [LycheeJelly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lychee_jelly)


End file.
